


happily ever after.

by eccejintesiast



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M, Jin is the man who can't be moved, Light Angst, Rebel Kim Seokjin, Sassy Bae Joohyun, Sweetheart Bae Joohyun, bad boy kim seokjin, mentions of drug addict, they're ex lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccejintesiast/pseuds/eccejintesiast
Summary: Seokjin never believes in the concept of fairy tales and its happily ever after, but his girlfriend believes so. She believes that for every fairy tales shall followed by a happy ending.The thing is, he was the part of her fairy tale, but wasn’t the part of her happy ever after.Because, if happy ever after did exist, he would still be holding her by now.[ inspired by Maroon 5 – Payphone ]
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kim Seokjin | Jin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt writing an English written fic! I know this was a flop, but at least I'm trying. First attempt to at writing FxM but why not because the pairing is kinda cute. but most importantly please pardon my lack of English skills bc English is not my mother tongue therefore just ignore the grammatical errors. hit me up on twitter @jinisanalpaca and let's be moots!

Seokjin was never believe in fairy tales.

He couldn’t believe how someone’s life could be so perfect and ended with a happy ending so easily. For him, the concept of fairy tales and its fucking happy ending is irrational or he might say, ridiculous.

He had been living a difficult life, grew up in a harsh environment, his dad is a drunkard and frequently beat him up, while her mother didn’t do much about him getting beaten up.

Until he met Bae Joohyun, a sweetheart who believes in fairy tales and happy ending, who convinced him that everyone is the main role in their own fairy tale, that everyone will eventually get their own happy ending they deserve.

Their encounter made him believe that he could have a happy ending after all the storms he went through.

If only he knew that happily ever after is not a destiny, but a choice.

They were once in the same fairy tales, only with different endings.

***

It was 11 at night when Seokjin exerted himself to get his eyes open. He wiped off the blood from the corner of his lips using his thumb, while managing to stay conscious as he restrained the aches that spread from the inside of his head. It felt like the head was struck by a massive powered hammer. “Shit, man,” he murmured. With full effort he scanned his surroundings, it was dark, like total dark, with only a glimpse of the moonlight which at least, had helped him to identify what kind of place he was at right now and why the fuck he was there at the moment. It was like some outlandish place he didn’t even recognized if he ever went to that kind of place. It wasn’t some place that lied in his residence nor located close to his dwelling, not even any place that close to his recall. His mind wandered to find any clue what the hell was going on that night.

In the vagueness he started to recall the things that actually happened before he found himself laying unconsciously on the ground. It was the smug face of Park Chanyeol and Kim Jongin, their mocking expressions as they threw numerous punches upon Seokjin’s face, laughing hysterically before finally stepped their shoes on Seokjin’s face as the final cherry to beat him up. Yep, Seokjin totally remembered it now. He got beaten up by those rascals. Hell, he totally remembered it by now. It was started by the monthly gambling in the local bar few days ago, where he lost the bet therefore obliged to pay in total one million fifty hundred won. Which certainly he refused to do so in consideration of his lack of money—he participated in the monthly gambling wishing that at least he could get some funds, not otherwise. And so he tried to run away from Chanyeol, the guy who won the bet, and never show up again ever since that night. Was his fault to think that things already secured while Chanyeol in fact gathered information of his traces, and look at him now, heavily injured, blood splattered each time he coughs with bruises all over his body. 

Slowly, he challenged himself to walk on his own, ignoring the pain that emerged from his limped feet. He dragged his feet with all his might. The shirt he wore was totally rumpled as he was stepped on and hard wrestled on the ground. His body stink, due to the streaming blood from his wounds mixed with his excessive sweats. He then ripped the rumpled shirt around his body and threw it far to the back of the towering trees, leaving a tight white singlet which covered his broad muscular body and a piece of tattered trousers.

And, so, where should he be going by now?

In his mind, he refused the idea to walk off to his old, messy flat, while he has not paid the rent arrears for two months. He currently facing the critical phase of his financial state. He clearly doesn’t possess any amount of money, not even a penny, and it’d just end up in vain if he decided to go back only to see his hot-blooded landlady snapping at him asking for the pay rent.

He really is, felt exhausted with his life.

Hence, while holding on with the pain in his whole body, he walked off from that odd place with no direction, aimlessly walking far leaving the cursed place away, until he reached the downtown and finally recognized the place he was in, thus arrived in front of a medium sized house, with a familiar warm lighting dominated with beige paint.

That was a house of someone whom he considered, all this time, as his “home”.

Someone, which all this time, had been the place where he’d return to each time the days were rough.

But the actual question is, could he still return to his home? Would the door be always opened for him, after everything he had been done? For every cut and every hurt he caused?

He stood still in front of its door, fist clenched, having the urge to lift the clenched fist and using his knuckles to knock the damn door. He was very eager to kick the firm wooden door, but he couldn’t. His mind reckoned the irresponsible behaviors he had done. Eventually he gave up. He put his fists down, holding both of his hands stick by his side. He thought he won’t, he won’t try furthermore to make that damn door opened.

Instead, he went to a payphone booth across the said house. Groped every remaining coin he got in his pants pocket. All of the changes from every transaction he done this week. Carefully, he inserted the coins to the payphone then pressed a line of number he precisely memorized—phone number of his lover, Bae Joohyun.

Well it is not entirely true, as she is no longer his lover. A former lover to be exact. The person whom he previously stated as his “home”. The person who actually occupied the beige-painted house. The person whom he really, really missed, the person whom he really cherished.

He waited, and he waited. He clamped the telephone handles in between his ears and his shoulders, faithfully waiting for the person over there to answer. But still, there was no answer. The connection ended. He pressed the redial button on the public telephone, praying for an answer from the person he had waited. He begged, “…please, Joohyun, one moment. Please.”

Miraculously, the call was finally connected. Seokjin was surprised as he heard the soft-spoken voice he truly recognized, the voice he’s been longing for. “Hi there, this is the Bae family household, how may I—”

“Joohyun? This is me, Seokjin.”

And then only silences left.

“…Seokjin?”

“Yeah, Bae, this is me,” Seokjin said in his low, gentle voice. “…Hi, there, I’ve missed you. I’ve truly missed you, your presence. Everything about you…”

“…Well, okay?” the person over the call replied with a cold tone. “You drank too much again, didn’t you Kim Seokjin?”

“No, I’m very sober, like very sober…”

“Well, okay then.”

“I’m in front of your house right now.”

“Crap. What’s the fucking excuse?”

“Because I miss you a lot?”

Joohyun hissed, “come on, Seokjin, it was all over. We broke up. Don’t you think it’s better for you to leave and find the fucking girl of your dream? We’re no longer a thing. Everything had come an end therefore I don’t want to waste any of times for something that had nothing to do with my life, okay.”

“No, Joohyun, hold up,” he interrupted. “Can I have, like, five minutes to talk to you?”

“For what?”

“For the last time.”

Joohyun chuckled. And the next minute, Seokjin found the door from the beige painted house finally opened, revealing a petite woman with skin as white as the fallen snow, gripping a mobile phone with her delicate hands.

“So, that is you? The guy in the payphone?” she said, the talk still on the phone.

“Well, you know me.” he replied.

“You look like a bummer!”

“I can’t say that I’m not one, though!”

“Look, Seokjin!” she tried to smack some sense into the guy’s head. “I didn’t mean to be rude, but you should know, everything is over! We’re nothing, I’m nobody to you, so are you! The feelings that once were there, are all vanished, all dissolved. Don’t you remember, you’re the one who told me that you get bored with me, that you said I’m nothing but a burden to you? That you demand your own freedom, thus you asked me to set you free? I fucking did, I fucking set you free, and now that you already had what you wanted, what still remains?!”

“My feelings!” he exclaimed, “you did let me go but the thing is I’m the one who actually can’t let you go!”

“What the actual fuck, Kim Seokjin?!”

Seokjin groaned in frustration, “no, this might sound like an utter bullshit to you, but—hello? Hello? Ah, fuck, I ran out of time,” he swore, as he put the telephone handles back on its place, and shouted back to the person across him who was standing in front of the door. “I ran out of time, so do the coins!”

Joohyun raised his left eyebrows, until the guy from the payphone with his damn broad figure—which she hates to admit, looks unexpectedly hot while in a disheveled form and bruises all over his body—came approaching her.

“What now?” she asked, put up her ultimate bitch face. “I’m not going back to you, you know it.”

“…I’ve missed you.”

“Am I a fucking joke to you,” she hissed. “I decided that everything had already ended last week when you snapped at me and told me that I’m a fucking slut…”

“But you know it was all caused by the drugs—”

“—which is why I told you to stop consuming that fucking useless drugs in the first place, right,” she cut him right away, “right, Seokjin? Now have you get it into your head about the negative impacts you got from your addiction? Well then I did set you to your liberty, so now you may leave, live your life the way you wanted it, to be freed, to be unrestrained, and I kindly ask you not to see me again.” _SLAM._ She slammed the door close.

“Joohyun!” Seokjin attempted to call her again, “…okay, I’ll leave, I’ll try not to approach you again, but for the last time can I please at least ask for forgiveness? For everything I had done?” he asked. “I want our relationship ended properly, and after that I promise—I will disappear from your sight, shit, even the blowing winds hurting my wounds.”

Upon hearing his shrill, Joohyun eventually opened her door once again. “Alright. Let’s talk inside. My parents are in Daegu. I’ll treat your wounds but until then you should leave and let’s not see each other again.”

He stepped on to the house, familiar scents greeted him. She told him to sit down while she went to take the aid kit. “Take off your shirt,” she commanded. He obeyed, pulled his shirt off through his head, completely bare chested. Then she started to treat the wounds using cottons and a bottle of iodine. While she gently strokes the iodine on the cotton, she asked him, “so, what’s the thing?”

So he told her, all the incidents he had went through from the monthly gambling at the local bar to his runaway until he got caught by the rascals. Joohyun, paying fully attention, listened to his story while giving her response occasionally. God, Seokjin misses her. Like, really misses her. By the way she softly spoke to her gentle touch, Bae Joohyun is, if he could say, God’s greatest gift he was ever gotten. But he’s a fool, a fool for squandered upon her.

A brief history about their relationship. Kim Seokjin and Bae Joohyun met at The Roulettes, an infamous bar for its entertainment, where Seokjin works there as the bartender. It was Joohyun first time going to local pub where she laid her eyes on him for the first time. He was stunning, with his fit button up shirt that looks perfect on his sturdy torso, and she was enchanting with her black mini dress and it was mutual attraction. He started to hit on her, tried to make a conversation, and brewed some special drinks for her. Long story short, they both fell in love and decided to date each other. After long time they had been dating, turns out her parents were opposing their relationship since Joohyun was planned by her parents to be a public notary, following her parents route, and they didn’t think Seokjin was equal since he only works as a bartender. Both of them ran away, or to be precise, it was Seokjin who suggested them to run away. They lived in Seokjin’s apartment, only the two of them. Every day, he would go to work while her girlfriend stays in the flat, clean up or cook for dinner. In their spare time they would spend it together, watching movies, reading books, or just casually getting laid.

But one thing that came as a barrier is Seokjin’s mild addiction to drugs. Every time he felt stressed, he would buy them drugs which surely, highly priced and would only decrease their savings. The savings which they intended to use for confinement since Joohyun had the idea to have their own kids. Hence they fought a lot, almost every day, until that time where Seokjin snapped at her and called her a slut. She actually got hurt a lot and decided to go back to her parents house and officially ended their relationship.

Indeed he regretted his action terribly. Joohyun was precious, she was a precious one for him. She’s the most beautiful, the kindest, the softest, a very valuable one for Seokjin.

Still fully paying attention to him, Joohyun responded to his story, while tenderly treats the wounds and bruises on most part of his body.

“I’m finished,” she said, touching the broad back for the last touch. Seokjin turned his body over, staring intently at her.

“Thanks… for being kind for me despite of the mistake I’ve done.”

She wryly smiled, “God always forgives. He taught us to be responsible of humanity by forgive sins. If God forgives, why wouldn’t we?”

“Yeah, amen. I thanked you for that,” he uttered. “I… I want to speak a few things to you.”

“Just go ahead.”

“Joohyun I… I actually came here to apologize… I was very, extremely, regret such action of mine that day. I regretted why didn’t I listen to your words from the start, and now that my life is fucked up, I really don’t know what to do. But I too, I won’t dare to wish for you to come back to me after everything that occurred, I know really well that I don’t deserve you. You deserve someone who worth you, someone far better than me…”

“So, you finally see the daylight?”

“Yeah…”

“Do you promise not to repeat such things in the future?” Joohyun asked. “Things like consuming drugs, gambling, brawling, ganging up on someone, do you promise?”

“I… I will try to…”

“If so, then everything is going to be okay,” she stroked his bare back softly. “I suggest, so you should go back to your parents house. Apologize to them, become a well-behaved son for the sake of them. You can go back working on The Roulettes, or perhaps, find any better job that suits your degree. You should start to take care of yourself more, considering that there is no more me by your side. Do you get it?”

He nodded, weakly.

“…Joohyun.”

“What?”

“If I did my best to change to be a better person,” he stated, “will there be any chance for me to get back to you?”

Thus, she was unable to say any word.

“…it’s okay though if you—”

“Seokjin, hear me out,” she whispered. “What if told you, I’m engaged.”

“I’m sorry?”

Joohyun picked out her phone, scrolling through the gallery folder, showing her photo with a tall, dimpled man, smiling brightly to the camera’s direction. “His name is Namjoon. He is Dad’s subordinate in his law firm. Few days ago he brought him home, told me that we are going to be engaged.”

“Oh wow, congratulations,” he said, felt bitter on the inside. “…so, you agreed?”

“Well—”

“And you feel happy with him?”

“He’s a great guy, so…”

“I’m happy to hear that,” he smiled. “I know you do deserve a good guy who worth yourself. You’re a nice, kindhearted, perfect lady I may say. And so, I really want to apologize as I felt really sorry towards you. I’m sorry for everything I had done to you, yeah? Please always be happy. Promise me to always be happy.”

She stared at the walls, empty. Suddenly her eyes stings, a clear liquid welled up in her eyes. “…I should the one to say that, you know,” she said, her voice trembled. “You’re the one who should be happy. I also feel sorry to leave you all off sudden. So you should promise, to always live happily. You also deserve happiness, you gotta know that. Be a bigger person and there you get the woman of your dream, which far better than me.”

“What if you’re the only woman of my dream?” he chuckled.

“Maybe in another life, Seokjin. _Maybe in another life.”_

Seokjin took it as the cue to put his shirt back on, then dragged his feet towards the front door, leaving the house and the person who left so much memories for him.

“…I’m going,” he said. “And I’m not going to bother you again.”

And she didn’t reply.

“So, thank you, Bae Joohyun?”

“…”

“For everything we once had.”

And so, he left the beige-painted house, didn’t bother to look back again. Without knowing that the girl whose standing in front of the door, watched him leaving from behind, as she crouched down into tears, putting her hands upon the face to muffle her crying sounds. Seokjin heard it, he absolutely heard her. But he knew, there is no need to go back.

It was all over.

Even though Joohyun was still, so far, the best part of his life,

He wasn’t the best part of hers once. _He never was._

***

Joohyun once said to him, that fairy tales are definitely exists in real life. That the concept of happy ever after is actually the manifestation of how the universe works.

The thing is, Joohyun read too much of books, meanwhile Seokjin is the contrary.

He reflects on his experiences. Not everyone got their own happily ever after.

Or maybe, the concept one’s happily ever after is essentially not in parallel with another one’s happiness. When someone’s get their own happiness there may be someone who is suffering behind it.

Just like how Seokjin right now, sitting inside his car. Looking to the beige painted house through out the window, which now is celebrating the engagement party of Bae Joohyun and Kim Namjoon.

She lied to him. Happily ever after didn’t fucking exist.

Or maybe it does, but it wasn’t entirely in everyone’s dictionary.

He stared at the guests of the engagement party, who are dancing and chatting cheerfully, a glass of wine and croissants in their hands. He lights up his cigarette, feeling upset.

If only he could turn back time, if only he could put everything back to the start. If only God granted him a wish to start his own time machine, but then again such thing like time machine were only exist in fairy tales, which is why, all those fairy tales are full of shits.

If only the payphone booth could help him to connect with Joohyun once more. If only he could call her using the damn payphone to ask her once again whether they could start things all over.

But, no. She already now is, living in her own fairy tale. Got her fucking happily ever after.

So he opened his car door, threw away his remaining lighted cigarette as it fell on to the ground, crushed into ashes beneath his shoes, just like how his hope to end up with someone he loves burnt in to ashes. He closed the door again and started the car machine, leaving the memories of the house, the payphone, everything about Joohyun, behind. And just like his cigarette ashes, the desire to have her is now disappeared like a puff of wind, gone on a breeze.


End file.
